In a land where roughly 70% of the population resides in rural areas and half of the nation’s population farms for a living, the importance of India’s agricultural sector cannot be overstated. Despite these massive numbers, the country’s agricultural output has been unable to keep pace with growing demands and global competition. According to the World Bank, [...]

Agriculture suffers in India in spite of the fact that a vast majority of Indians depend on it. Government interventions in terms of minimum support prices, farmers’ markets as well as technology interventions like mobile-based update on weather and soil quality have resulted only in piecemeal success, if any, in improving the farmer’s income. When [...]

An article in The Hindu highlighted a real-life “Swades” story. Rikin Gandhi, a Master’s degree holder in Aeronautical and Astronomical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, set to take up a job in space programme instead changed his mind, came back to India and started an NGO to help rural farmers. Digital Green produces and [...]

Indicorps, an innovative nonprofit based in India, offers Fellowships for people of Indian origin to implement sustainable grassroots development projects with community-based organizations. As an intense, total-immersion leadership program, Indicorps encourages individuals to explore their role as a catalyst for change. 27 new projects have been announced for the Indicorps 2011 Fellowship. Fellows will tackle [...]

Sankalp, the annual social enterprise awards and investment forum organized by Intellecap, took place this week in Mumbai.  The Sankalp Awards recognized many innovative and sustainable models in the following categories: Agriculture, Food and Rural Businesses; Clean Energy; Health, Water and Sanitation; Inclusive Education; and, Technology for Development. The 2010 winners are: Agriculture, Food and [...]

Villgro (formerly Rural Innovations Network) is sponsoring a new business plan competition for social entrepreneurs called Wantrapreneur.  The competition is specifically aimed at innovations and solutions that benefit the rural poor. Wantrapreneur is all about identifying ideas that have the potential to transform lives and nurturing them to become market-ready products and services. The competition [...]

In March, ThinkChange India reported Nokia’s plans to launch LifeTools – a mobile application that caters to emerging markets in the rural areas with services related to agriculture, education and entertainment. Today, Nokia has commercially launched its tools in Maharashtra in partnership with Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB). Nokia India has entered into an [...]

We alerted our readers about Sankalp, and the event is now around the corner!  Check back with ThinkChange India as we bring you updates and guest posts straight from the forum.  Adrienne Villani and Sujatha Mutthaya from Intellecap provide more background: More than 300 social entrepreneurs, a plethora of international and regional investors, funding agencies, [...]

Sanitation hasn’t probably got as much a face-lift earlier as it has seeming got with Sulabh International Social Service Organization. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder, won Stockholm Water Prize 2009 for his innovation in sanitation. He has designed a “flush compost toilet” and a treatment system around it that treats the human excreta to extract [...]

TCI had earlier discussed open innovation as an emerging tool for social entrepreneurs. An excellent initiative in this field is Ashoka Changemakers, which provides an online space for social innovators to present ideas and collaborate with others on refining and implementing them. Changemakers is building the world’s first global online “open source” community that competes [...]